| 6/26/2009 8:29 PM |
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brtcmfn
Member since: 2/25/2009 | | The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | This show needs to be on DVD box sets and now!
This show is a classic and stands the test of time
It is a true classic and needs to get the DVD box set treatment
I hope SHOUT gets the rights
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| 7/7/2009 3:04 PM |
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frenchjr25
Member since: 4/13/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | This would make a fantastic set. And you could do the uncut episodes with the original commercials, many of which were written right into the show and is the reason the early episodes are not able to be edited properly to be shown on TV. I love this show and have many early episodes on VHS. Even the very first episode survives, which is extremely rare for a series originally done live.
You could even add the 2nd George Burns series, which he did after Gracie retired. |
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| 7/8/2009 9:05 AM |
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tvfan2089
Member since: 7/8/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | yes id like to have the entire series uncut too. the other show was wendy and me with connie stevens from the 60s id welcome it also. |
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| 7/12/2009 11:32 AM |
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1950's TV guy
Member since: 12/12/2007 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | Put me down as another who would buy this series. A few years ago, I bought some bootlegs of this series (apparently taped off either Nick at Nite and/or CBN broadcasts in the 1980's). Yes the quality is horrible, but there was no alternative (at least for now.)
I remember wtaching this series in the 1980's on those two networks and I seem to recall that the later (filmed) episodes of the series were better than the earlier ones. Too, in the later series George's neighbor (Harry Morton) was played (1953-1958) by Larry Keating who I liked much better in the role than the fellas that played him previously. |
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| 7/13/2009 3:17 PM |
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frenchjr25
Member since: 4/13/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | The earlier episodes are important because they were done live and actually survive. There have been some releases in the past on cheap VHS. The later episodes were not done in front of a live audience but where shown to one to get the laughs. The quality changes over time and that's because of the switch from live (in New York) to filmed (done at one of the Desilu studios in Hollywood). And in the later episodes George and Gracie are joined by their adopted son, who passed away within the past year.
Gracie Allen was a true comic genius and this is an important series because of her. Without her this would never have been put in the air.
A boxed set of the entire series (as compared to a season by season release) would be greatly welcomed. |
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| 7/14/2009 4:32 PM |
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rgianatos
Member since: 7/14/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | There are a lot of episodes in this series, so season by season would probably work best, although I want them all!!! I've actually seen two episodes of George's series the season after Gracie retired, and it is quite funny too. They all make fun of his being talentless and will not be a success on TV without Gracie. They moved the series to his production office and Blanche becomes his secretary to "keep an eye" on the menfold for Gracie and herself.
I have a number of VHS tapes released in chron order from Columbia [the Hollywood episodes] and they are in mint condition, so I know Sony has good masters of the filmed episodes.
LOVE those Carnation "milk from contented cows" commercials. Columbia left them in as well as Goodyear [the alternate sponsor] commercials. |
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| 8/21/2009 7:00 AM |
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frenchjr25
Member since: 4/13/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | What's great about shows of this age is that there are no automatic royalties. I'm sure a few people own part of the rights to it but the cost of licensensing the series is cheaper than shows starting in the late '60s.
My only fear about seasonal releases is that if one season does not do well then we don't get the following seasons (Malcolm in the Middle for example). I'm just a huge beleiver in releasing complete series of shows that have no TV market or current gigantic fan followings. There are some exeptions. Who would have thought that The Doris Day Show would do so well. |
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| 8/21/2009 8:14 PM |
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Eileen
Member since: 6/17/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | I agree that this show is awesome. This is still one of my favorite shows. I would love uncut episodes with the commercials included. |
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| 9/21/2009 3:14 PM |
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brtcmfn
Member since: 2/25/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | Next Oct it will mark the 60th anniversary for this show-
I can's see where there would be any issues with music royalties that would prevent this show from being on box sets.
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| 4/5/2010 7:56 PM |
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PF7074
Member since: 4/5/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | Another brilliant, yet underappreciated, comedy series. George and Gracie were great together, and I loved when Larry Keating (later known for playing Roger Addison on Mr. Ed) took over as a revamped Harry Morton. |
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| 6/8/2010 9:58 AM |
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caddykid60
Member since: 6/8/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | I agree. There are many very funny, high quality shows from the 1950s that have not seen the light of day on DVD. This is one of them. I have all the filmed episodes in one form or another (with Columbia releasing most of the first and part of the second season, with original commercials) on VHS back in the 1990s. The prints were uncut and teriffic. This is an important landmark series, with many aspects still imitated today, that deserves a complete series release. Shout factory would be the place! I keep hoping. |
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| 12/19/2010 5:41 PM |
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brtcmfn
Member since: 2/25/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | Now with the national launch of Antenna TV airing Burns and Allen M-F, could Sony or Shout be ready to start releasing the box sets?- We can only hope :)
And Thanks to Tribune and Antenna TV for bringing this classic back! |
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| 12/20/2010 5:41 AM |
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1950's TV guy
Member since: 12/12/2007 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | What an interesting comment...I thought the very same thing myself!
I first saw Burns and Allen in 1975 when our local NBC affiliate ran episodes during the summer of 1975 at 3:30 in the afternoon. I remember seeing the listing in the newspaper and never having heard of either Burns or Allen (I was only 17 at the time) thought it must be a show that starred two men! I started watching the series and watched it almost every day that summer. I loved Gracie's wacky humor, never having seen anything quite like it. I was saddened when my mom told me she had died in the 1960's.
In the 1980's I got to see it again on Nickelodeon and CBN (those were great years for vintage TV on cable).
I think the later filmed episodes were batter than the earlier ones, and I did like Larry Keating as George's neighbor much better than any of the guys that preceeded him. Sorry, but I hated those corny Carnation milk commercials that were in the earliest episodes. Carnation even strongly pushed their canned milk as an ideal baby formula!
Once I read someone joke that no wonder the teenagers in the 1960's ended up being so screwed up...it was all that damned canned milk their parents fed to them as infants in the early 1950's! |
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| 12/20/2010 10:59 PM |
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bencasey
Member since: 5/12/2007 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | Cross your fingers that Antenna runs them complete and then we can just DVDR them ourselves and not worry about someone releasing them. |
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| 12/26/2010 4:26 PM |
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brtcmfn
Member since: 2/25/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | I just learned that Sony will not have the complete library for launch time as well as some other Sony shows- so the launch schedule has changed- Antenna promises that the shows will air in order- So just have to wait till Sony has enough copies to start airing in order- the one good thing is that it's coming!- I am ready to transfer from DVR to DVD copies if Sony does not release box sets.
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=272122&page=11 |
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| 1/17/2011 2:39 PM |
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kevin callaghan
Member since: 8/28/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | i'd buy the burns and allen show on dvd, they are great
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| 3/9/2011 2:27 PM |
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Scottsdaleglenn
Member since: 3/9/2011 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | Hi, I totally agree. I was also 17 in 1975 when I started watching Burns and Allen in Chicago. The later filmed episodes were outstanding. I too watched on CBN in the early eighties. CBN skipped episodes though. I live in Scottsdale now and no providers presently carry Antenna TV. I am so upset. We moved here from Chicago 4 years ago. Naturally, the Chicago station called Me TV ran Burns and Allen in order about two years ago, after we moved. I've never seen about half of the episodes in season 7 and about 80% of season 8, so I really wish they woudl be issued on DVD.
I have seen the Columbia VHS tapes from the early 1990s and they are pristine in quality. I also have a Christmas 1956 episode on tape that is superb, so great copies of the show do exist. I only wish we could get the broadcast in Arizona.
Glenn |
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| 4/15/2011 7:45 PM |
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brtcmfn
Member since: 2/25/2009 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | For those that have access to Antenna TV- Burns and Allen premieres on May 30th!
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| 5/10/2011 6:31 PM |
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PF7074
Member since: 4/5/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | Apparently, Sony has remastered the entire B&A series. I can't believe that they went to the trouble of doing that solely for Antenna TV. There must be some greater plan afoot to release the show on DVD. |
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| 5/12/2011 5:28 AM |
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cajunhillbilly
Member since: 3/14/2008 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | I hope this indicates future dvd releases.
----- Original Post -----
by PF7074 at 5/10/2011 6:31:19 PM
Apparently, Sony has remastered the entire B&A series. I can't believe that they went to the trouble of doing that solely for Antenna TV. There must be some greater plan afoot to release the show on DVD.
"God chose those whom the world considers absurd to shame the wise; he singled out the weak of the world to shame the strong. He chose the world's lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something." (1 Cor. 1: 27,28) |
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| 9/6/2011 1:31 AM |
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Ian K McLachlan
Member since: 1/24/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | I have enjoyed watching the episodes that are available on DVD. I too would like to see more released. |
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| 10/25/2011 8:30 PM |
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Steve-o
Member since: 10/25/2011 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | Yes, I am enjoying the Burns and allen AND the Jack Benny Program Masters that are being broadcast now on Antenna TV! Shout, add me to the list of people who would buy both TV series if released. But please, do it right! Go into the vaults and release both kinescopes and filmed seasons chronologically! Best of collections only cater to the fan base ONCE. get the rights and put out the series season by season like other collections and the fan base will buy over and over meaning $$$ for Shout Factory, and a beloved TV series for us fans. I'm not old enough to remember them in first run, but I enjoyed the reruns in the sixties, and I'm sure thousands do! |
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| 10/25/2011 9:16 PM |
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me
Member since: 4/23/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | This is a TRUE classic in every way. There were 52 live shows, 26 each in the 1950-1951 and 1951-1952 seasons. These were followed by an amazing 239 filmed episodes from the fall of 1952 through fall 1958. Five of the six filmed seasons each consisted of 40 episodes, with the final season "only" having 39 episodes. By today's standards of 18 to 22 episodes, that would mean the Burns and Allen Show has more episodes than a 14-year sitcom run today. Additionally, this show was never dropped by CBS, but ended only because of Gracie Allen's illness. I, for one, would buy a package of all 291 episodes, or, if the 52 live shows can't be obtained, all six of the filmed seasons. By the way, I do remember this show when it was first-run. I was too young to see the first few seasons in prime time on Thursday nights in the New York area, but I began watching it sometime after it moved to Monday nights at 8 PM in its fourth season (2nd filmed season.). Of all the sitcoms of the 1950s that have not been issued on DVD and still exist on film, to my mind The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show is the most important and deserving one to receive the Shout! full-series treatment. Considering George and Gracie's full careers, this show is absolutely historic - to say nothing about its timeless humor! |
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| 10/29/2011 4:04 PM |
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Tom Clark
Member since: 6/24/2010 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | Actually, it moved to Mondays at 8 in the middle of the 1952-53 season, its third season, first on film.
I've been watching this on Antenna. George and Gracie are always all dressed up in the house, like Ward and June Cleaver, and Gracie's constantly serving coffee. It's amazing they didn't die of a caffeine overdose -- or maybe she did, come to think of it. Of course, George made it to 100 -- maybe because he cut back on the coffee. |
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| 12/9/2011 11:22 AM |
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classictvfan91
Member since: 12/7/2011 | | RE: The George Burns and Gracie Allen show | | I hope so too.
This show is a classic, and deserves the proper DVD treatment, with commercials and special features.
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